What are the Dutch Christmas traditions in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas traditions, rooted in 18th-century German customs, focus on homemade decorations, specific folklore characters, and two days of celebration. Key traditions include the Belsnickel (a gift-bringer/disciplinarian), the Christmas Putz (elaborate nativity scene), hiding a pickle ornament, and eating pork and sauerkraut.
In Pennsylvania Dutch culture, powwowing encompasses a wide spectrum of rituals for the health and healing of humans and livestock. As a folk-religious expression of Christianity, a powwowing practitioner uses prayers, gestures, and ritual objects for the benefit of others.
The Pennsylvania Dutch culture, which is now over three centuries old and still evolving, is an American hybrid creation put together from Continental Europe, British Isles, and American building blocks in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Not all Pennsylvania Dutch are Amish, but all Amish are Pennsylvania Dutch. The Pennsylvania Dutch is the broad name for all of the German migrants, of various religions, who fled to Pennsylvania during the 16th century; the Amish are one smaller sect of PA Dutch people who practice Anabaptism.
A Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas: A Bit Of Holiday History
What is the stereotype of the Pennsylvania Dutch?
Anglo-Americans created the stereotypes of "the stubborn Dutchman" or "the dumb Dutchman", and made Pennsylvania Dutch the butt of ethnic jokes in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, though these stereotypes were never specific to the Plain Folk; most of the Pennsylvania Dutch people in those centuries were Church ...
In several counties in Michigan and Iowa, Dutch Americans remain the largest ethnic group. In 2020, most self-reported Dutch Americans live in Michigan, followed by California and New York.
Here are some of my favorites: POT PIE, CHICKEN CORN RIVEL SOUP, SHOOFLY PIE, MINCEMEAT PIE, WHOOPIE PIES, BIRCH BEER, RED BEET EGGS, and, PORK, SAUERKRAUT, & KNEPP.
What are some unique Christmas traditions in the Netherlands? In Holland, Sinterklaas is celebrated on December 5 with gift exchanges; Sinterklaas, based on Saint Nicholas, gives children small gifts in, of all places, the shoes they've left out overnight.
The term “Belsnickeling” comes from Belsnickel, a companion figure to Santa Claus in German folklore. Think of Belsnickel as the stern equivalent to the jolly Saint Nick. Belsnickel traditionally dressed in furs (or sometimes rags, depending on the area) and carried a switch (a small wooden whip).
We Pennsylvanians know that on New Year's Day, we are obligated to eat pork and sauerkraut. But why? Yes, it's a Pennsylvania Dutch tradition that we all follow, but it's important to know its history. (It's also fun.)
There is a festive Christmas spread for dinner. This starts with a popular Dutch Christmas starter, a shrimp cocktail. It is followed by the main course of mixed wild meat along with cheese fondues and vegetables. A traditional sweet treat is Kruidnoten, Dutch gingernut cookies prepared with ginger and sweet spices.
Another implication is the term Black Dutch refers to Sephardie Jews who intermarried with Dutch Protestants to escape the Inquisition, many of their offspring later moving to the Americas. The 'black' referred to their dark hair and complexions, although rare, of German immigrants from the Black Forest region.
Dutch is easier than German and shares a lot with English. German is more distant but still part of the family. Icelandic is closest to Old Norse, but not to English.
According to their own statements, men aged 19 years who were born in the Netherlands in 2020 are on average 182.9 cm tall. Women of the same age born in the Netherlands measure 169.3 cm.
Early Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas traditions include dying eggs with onion skins – we now associate that practice with Easter, but it was an originally a Christmas activity. The festive eggs would then be used to decorate the tree. Another traditional holiday decoration in Lancaster is a pretzel.
The Plain Dutch consist of Anabaptist sects, including the Amish, Mennonites, and Brethren. They are known for their conservative, simple lifestyle, characterized by plain dress and limited use of modern technology.
Husbands are the heads of the household and work outside, while wives manage the home and children. Despite this, marriage is seen as a partnership with shared responsibilities. Divorce is not allowed within the Amish church.
The Amish wedding night will usually be spent in the bride's parent's home, as the couple will need to assist in clean up the following day. They will then spend their first months of marriage – their honeymoon – visiting relatives. (This is when most gifts they receive will be given.)
The Amish and Mennonite populations represent outstanding communities for the study of genetic disease for a number of reasons. There is a high degree of inbreeding, resulting in a high frequency of recessive disorders, many of which are seen rarely or are unknown outside of this population.
